These supermarkets are being welcomed — in some cases, even courted — by malls who have lost anchor stores such as Borders and Mervyns. They’re betting that fresh food will help re-energize their properties and bring customers back regularly.

“The economic downturn hitting in 2008 had a big impact on mall traffic as consumers pulled back on discretionary shopping,” said Mike Moser, senior vice president with CBRE in San Diego. “Daily needs such as grocery-type uses and gyms bring shoppers on a more regular basis, which is a trend seen across the country as it brings shoppers back to the mall more frequently.”

U.S. adults shop for food an average of 2.2 times a week, according to the Food Marketing Institute, so an in-house grocery store can drive up sales at nearby stores, analysts say.

“From a mall standpoint, a grocery store is attractive because you get the additional foot traffic,” said Phil Lempert, a Santa Monica-based consumer-behavior expert known as the Supermarket Guru. “From a supermarket standpoint, there are so many vacancies that they can get excellent deals. It’s very logical — it makes sense for everybody.”

The timing appears to be right for supermarkets to move in. The departure of some retail chains — and the prospect of Sears closing some stores — means there’s an opportunity to fit major grocery stores in large, vacant spaces. The cost of leasing space in major San Diego malls is about $23 per square foot per year, compared with nearly $30 at the height of the market in 2008, according to CoStar.

Target paved the way as a “transitional” retailer with expanded grocery sections, and Walmart is a close competitor. Now upscale and specialty grocers are reserving space. Here are a few food-focused markets coming soon:

• Whole Foods: Replacing an old cinema at Flower Hill Promenade in north San Diego near Del Mar.

Westfield, which owns seven of the region’s major malls, has been a leader in this strategy, and also has a Target store going into its North County mall. Tom Tierney, a senior vice present for Westfield in San Diego, has said that the Australian mall owner wants its malls to be “one-stop shopping destinations.”